Obama warns of risks posed by Syrian militants with Western passports

Obama warns that Syrian fighters with Western passports could enter U.S. without a visa

Rep. Pete King says 100 Americans and thousands of European passport holders have joined battle in Syria

WASHINGTON — President Obama acknowledged Sunday that militants fighting in Syria and Iraq pose a direct threat to the United States because many of them have Western passports that enable them to easily enter the country without a visa.

“I think we have been under serious threat my entire presidency, and we have been under serious threat predating 9/11 from those who embrace this ideology,” Obama said on “This Week With George Stephanopoulos."

"We have to improve our surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence there. Special forces are going to have a role. And there are going to be times where we take strikes against organizations that could do us harm,” Obama said.

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Militant fighters aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have overrun the military in parts of Iraq, threatening the capital of Baghdad in recent weeks and prompting the White House to dispatch 300 military advisors to help stabilize the region.

“They're gaining strength in some places,” Obama said. “We've seen Europeans who are sympathetic to their cause traveling into Syria and now may travel into Iraq, getting battle-hardened. Then they come back. They've got European passports. They don't need a visa to get into the United States.”

Republican Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) said as many as 100 Americans and "thousands" of European passport holders have joined the fight in Syria. In response, the U.S. is working to beef up security at overseas airports.

“Any of these people can come back to the United States and they can carry out the type of attack that they're being trained in in Syria,” King said on the same show. “All we have to do is risk one or two of them and we could have a very, very lethal attack here in the U.S.”

Whether Congress will need to give its approval to authorize the White House’s military actions in Iraq remains open for debate. Many lawmakers are reluctant to vote on the issue ahead of the midterm elections when they will be seeking support from Americans weary after a decade of war.

“I believe the president has to come back to Congress,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) on “Face the Nation.” “He should come back to Congress. And I can assure you there's no appetite for us to get boots on the ground and go back into that country in any way, shape or form.”

President Obama on Thursday asked Congress for the first time to approve direct U.S. military training for Syrian rebels, but he remains deeply ambivalent about intervening in a deadly conflict that has spilled over into neighboring Iraq, U.S. officials said.

Iraq's army sent tanks and armored vehicles to try to dislodge insurgents from the northern city of Tikrit on Sunday, the second day of a pushback against a Sunni militant takeover of large stretches of Iraq.

Two cross-dressing men who were fired upon by National Security Agency police when they disobeyed orders at a heavily guarded gate had just stolen a car from a man who had picked them up and checked into a motel, police said Tuesday.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday criticized Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk as "irresponsible" for recently signing an open letter to the government of Iran regarding ongoing nuclear talks.